The so-called star of the show was a revolver that historians believe was carried by Earp in the OK Corral shootout in Tombstone. The Colt .45-caliber revolver was valued at up to $150,000 but went for a whopping $225,000 to a phone bidder in New Mexico.

The other big winner of the night was a Chandler man. John Anderson walked off with $160,000 worth of items, including a shotgun and boxes of historical research.

"It's part of Arizona history and all of the Wyatt Earp collection -- his rifle, his father's pistol, all of the archives of everything that's been researched for so many years -- needs to stay in Arizona," Anderson said. "Eventually it will be donated to universities here in Arizona and kept together and so it will remain here as part of Arizona history. It's irreplaceable."

He faced some tough competition from thousands of bidders worldwide, representing 49 different countries.

The guns and boxes of research documents, photos and memorabilia came from the estate of renowned author Glenn Boyer.

Boyer, a retired Air Force pilot, spent nearly a lifetime researching and writing about the American Old West and the Earp family. He died in February 2013.

"Wyatt Earp is Arizona, Tombstone is Arizona," said Boyer's widow, Jane. "It's part of the great American history. It's part of our folklore."